[Applied Self-Confidence] Anyone Doing Anything

“The only difference between something being difficult and easy is a page of instructions.” There are restrictions to that, certainly. If I wanted to learn Tagalog, I would need more than a page of instructions, and it would certainly take more time than what is implied with a page of instructions. However, I think in general, having an instructional foundation is an important first step, especially if you feel insecure about a topic you’re learning.

The instructions are now humble and archaic. If you’re learning this for purely technical reasons, it’s tedious, although it could be made fun. Why watch it, then? Partially to see how instructing and training has changed in the last 20 years, along with just a hint of confidence boosting thoughts like: “yeah, cool, I innately understand this!” Even with newer operating systems, much of that same logical foundation is still there.

Let’s expand out a bit.

Learning how to operate a computer is much easier than learning to develop a program on a computer. My singular attempt to learn programming in high school failed when the instructions went in crazy directions quickly. Following the photo above, let’s say you wanted to access the Calculator:

Click on the Start menu button.

Hover over Accessories.

Click on the Calculator button.

This was how programming was like for me:

Click on the Start menu button.

When you find the Calculator button, click on it.

Type in 5+3-4+0*75-4 and output that command to the asdf.vbs log file.

Maybe I was in a class that was too advanced for me?

Other than for physical or cognitive reasons, that might be the root of anyone giving up on anything that is too challenging. I can learn to program and comprehend Tagalog just as I’ve learned to operate Windows computers. Others can learn to operate Windows computers just as they’ve mastered Tagalog and maybe a handful of other languages.

They, along with my high school experience, might just have given up in frustration.

If it’s a skill that you need to learn, either for survival or to sustain self-confidence, then it’s just a matter of throwing your head against the wall enough times until it sticks. Ask for help, try, humiliate one’s self, while still retaining that root confidence that you’re making progress, no matter how slow, toward that goal.

If it’s not important, then it’ll probably fall to the wayside.

It’s not so much that I’ll never learn to program, comprehend Tagalog, or any other skill I may have tried before giving up. It’s just they’re not priorities for me right now, and more so, they don’t make me feel better while doing them. I may not be the best writer, yet while writing, I feel like I’m uncovering secrets about myself and reality.

More technical esoteria has always felt like a chore to me.

So after reading that page of instructions, if the material is still difficult, don’t worry!

My big goal is to write. My important goal is to write "TheStory." My proudest moment is the most recent time I overcame a fear, which should have been today. I'm a better zombie than I was yesterday. Let's strive to be better everyday. (Avatar)